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This is Danny Bryant’s third CD. In my reviews of
his first two releases, I heaped praise on Danny and his band.
“Covering Their Tracks” continues the excellence
displayed previously. As Danny fully admits, Walter Trout is his
idol and mentor and it shows in every song on the CD. For an avid
Trout fan like me and the others at Bluesrockers, this is a good
thing. I don’t mean to convey that Bryant merely copies
Walter Trout. With every release Bryant is becoming more his own
person. Ken Bryant (Danny’s father) still plays bass and Andy
Burt is still on drums. This consistency in personnel makes for an
extremely tight band. They are augmented on some tracks by Chris
Cooper on keyboards. In general, the songs are more blues and less
rock oriented than on the previous two CDs. This provides all the
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Bryant’s great vocals and jaw-dropping guitar
proficiency.
The CD begins with “This is the Blues” which contains a
very “Trout-like” vocal and a tough, chugging rhythm
that immediately grabs the listener. A Peter Green and Eric Clapton
influence are evident in the guitar solos which also have the
fleet-fingered runs so often heard in Trout’s solos.
“Hendrix Jam” is really the “other” version
of Voodoo Child (not Slight Return) and Bryant showcases his
mastery of wah-wah guitar. “Old Love” is an Eric
Clapton song which Bryant performs with even better vocals and
guitar than Clapton. “Blues before Sunrise” is a great
slide guitar workout in the Elmore James tradition. “Lean on
Me” is a slow, intense song with a tasty, more laid back
guitar solo. “Five Long Years” is your classic Eddie
Boyd slow blues song on which Bryant plays one of his best solos on
the CD. “Nobody Loves me like I Love Myself” is a Popa
Chubby cover. I haven’t heard the original, but I am
convinced that it couldn’t be done better than Bryant’s
version. “Girl from the North Country” is a Bob Dylan
song which Bryant performs in Trout-style and even has
Trout’s trademark “crying guitar” effect.
“Time to Say Goodbye” was written by Bryant in
Trout’s song style and serves as a heartfelt dedication to
him. The CD closes with “Memories,” a quiet song
written for Bryant’s grandmother.
And there you have it. Another impressive Danny Bryant CD with four
original songs and six covers. Across the three CDs, this now makes
30 songs that I have heard from Bryant and the Redeye band. I can
honestly say that I like all 30 and anxiously look forward to their
next release. May I suggest a 2 CD live recording with Walter Trout
guesting on some of the songs?
Al Kaplan
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